Metal bedstead.



J. C. LUCAS. METAL BEDSTEAD. APPLICATION FILED MAR.20.1911.

- Patented July 18, 191 1.

- K MNQUWW Witne general objectof the improvement is to proas ranrrr OFFICE}.

JOSEPH C. LUCAS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG'NOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK J'. SENG.

. 0F WILMETTE, ILLINOIS.

METAL BEDSTEAD.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 18. 1911 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrrr .0. Lucas, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of-Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metal Bedsteads, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to the construction of metal bedsteads, and more particularly to the joints of the frame members; and the vide a secure and rigid joint, in which the securing means are entirely inclosed within the members when they are assembled to form the joint, and therefore cannot'atfect or mar the exterior surface of the same; This'general object, together with ancillary advantages pertaining to the construction and assembling of the parts, and to the rigidity of the joint, are attained by themeferred embodiment of the invention illustrated-in the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, in which- F'gure 1 is an elevation of one end frame of a bedstead. showing a conventional arrangement of the pillars and top, the cross bar and the filling bars, and illustrating the application of the improvement thereto; Fig.

2, a fragmentary side view of the tubular receiving bar; Fig. 3, a section of same on line 3-3, Fig. 2, showing also the inserted member and the joint complete; Fig. 4, a

section on line 4-4, Figs. 2 and 3; Fig. 5, a fragmentary side view of the inserted bar;

and F ig.-6', a fragmentary section of the locking bolt and adjacent parts.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

The end frame of an iron bedstead may include the side or corner pillars 1, the top or upper connecting bar 2, the lower connecting bar 3, and the intervening upright filling bars 4. These-bars may be made either in round or other form of cross section, and

round in cross section, or to make the inserted'bars hollow.

As shown in the drawing, the side bars 1 and the top bar 2 may be made of a single tube bent or curved to form the corners and in the wall of these tubes are provided the round openings 5 to receive the inserted ends of the connectingbar 3 and the upper ends of the filling bars 4. And the lower cross bar 3 is' likewise made of a tube and is provided with the round openings 5 in the wall to receive the lower ends of the filling bars 4.

The cross section of each opening 5 is shaped like the external cross section of the inserted bar, and it is preferably formed slightly smaller, say one sixty-fourth of an inch less in diameter, than the inserted bar, so that when the inserted bar is driven or otherwise forced into the opening, the rim of the opening will rigidly grip the insert ed bar.

The insertedbars. as 4 are preferably made tubular in form as shown, and are provided with the radial apertures 6 in their walls, which apertures are located preference directly opposite each other, and are so arranged as to register just within the rim of the opening of the receiving bar when the end of the inserted bar abuts the inside of the opposite wall of the receiving bar 3., as a at 7 in Fig. 4.

The spring-resisted locking bolts 8 are provided and operate in the radial apertures, and as shown,these bolts are formed by the outwardly-bent end portions of the U-shaped wire spring 9, the yoke of which may be provided with one or more coils 10 to increase the spring action thereof. The ends,

of the bolts normally protrude from the apertures beyond the wall of the inserted bar, and the forward side of the protruding portion of each bolt, that is, the side toward the adjacent end of the inserted bar, is protreme outer end thereof. thus firmly and rigidly supporting the protruding end of the bolt against a forward thrust; and the arms of the U-shaped spring are arranged to abut against the'inn'er sides of the tubular inserted bar. as at 13, so that only the beveled faced ends I of the bolts will protrude, as described above.

To assemble the parts, the spring-connected locking bolts ,8 are inserted through the forward end of the tubular inserted bar, for

which purpose they are sprung together as by tweezers to enter the cavity of the bar, after which they are pushed in until the ends of the bolts register with the respective apertures, whereupon the connecting spring forces the bolts into their normal operative position. And it is evident that by driving or otherwise forcing the end of the inserted bar into the opening of the receiving bar, the beveled faces on the ends of the bolts will slidingly impinge the rim of the opening and force the bolts in to pass the same, until the end of the inserted bar abuts the opposite wall of the receiving bar, thus bringing the apertures inside the openingwall thereof, whereupon the bolts will be forced and held out by action of the connecting spring, and the rear sides 14: of the protriiding portions of the bolts" will squarely abut the inner side of the rim of tight grip of the rim of the opening around the inserted bar, in conjunction with the abutment of the end of the inserted bar against the opposite wall of the receiving bar, and the interlocking of the bolts with the inner side of the rim of the opening, make such a tight joint that the inserted bar cannot be flexed in the opening to crack the enamel with which the parts may be finished.

The particular form of connecting spring for the bolts which is illustrated and described herein is not essential to the general object of the invention, and the scope of the invention is not limited thereto; but this form of spring is preferable for the reason that it is economically made and readily inserted 1n the inserted bar when the same is made tubular in form as shown. In assembling the end frame of a. bed, it will be understood that the locking bolts need not be used in all the filling bars, and in practice it is generally found sufficient to lock the mid dle upright filling bar in each end frame of the bed, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 1. It will also be understood that the protruding ends of the bolts are not necessarily beveled on the forward side, but the beveled shape is preferred for an automatic action of the bolts in passing the rim of the opening in the receivingbar.

I claim:

1. A metal-bedstead joint composed of a hollow member having an opening in its wall, another hollow member inserted in the opening and'having opposite apertures in its Wall, bolts operating in-the apertures and having beveled, ends,normally protruding therefrom, and a U-shaped spring with a coiled yoke connecting the bolts; to force them outward.

V 2. A metal-bedstead joint composed of a hollow member having. an opening in its wall, another hollow member inserted in the opening and having opposite apertures in its wall, bolts'operating in the apertures and having beveled ends normally protruding therefrom, and'a U-shaped spring connecting the bolts to force them outward.

3. A metal-bedstead'joint composed of a hollow member. havin an opening in its Wall, another member inserted in the opening and having opposite apertures in its wall, bolts operating in the apertures and having beveled ends normally protruding therefrom, and a spring connecting the bolts to force them outward.

4. A metal-bedstead joint composed of a the apertures and having beveled ends normally protruding therefrom.

5. A metal-bedstead joint composed of a hollow member having an opening in its .wall, another member lnserted in the open ing and having radial apertures in .its wall, spring-resisted bolts operating in the apertures and having beveled ends normally protruding therefrom.

6. A metal-bedstead joint composed of a hollow member having an opening in its wall, another member inserted in the opening and having apertures in its wall, beveled spring-bolts operating in the apertures, and normally protruding therefrom.

7. A metal-bedstead joint including a, hollow receiving member having an opening in its side, another member inserted in the opening and having an aperture in its side, a spring bolt operating in and normally protruding from the aperture and adapted to be forced inward to pass the rim of the" opening and to spring outward to lock against the inner side thereof when the end of the one member is inserted in the opening to abut the opposite wall of the other member.

8. A metal-bedstead joint including a hollow receiving member having an opening in its side, another member inserted in the opening and having an aperture in its side,

a spring bolt operating in and normally protruding from the aperture and adapted'to be forced inward to pass the rim of the opening and to spring outward to lock against the inner side thereof when the end of the one member is inserted in the opening of the other member. I

9. A metal-bedstead joint-member composed of a tube having opposite apertures in its wall, and radialbolts normally protruded through the apertures and having an intethrough the apertures and havmg an lntegral U-shaped wlre connecting spring.

grail U-shaped Wire connectim spring with a 4 coil yoke. a Y 10. A metal-bedstead joint-member corn- WVitnesses:

posed of a tube having opposite apertures in JOHN M. Bnosrr,

its Wall, and radial bolts normally protruded v EDWARD J. SCHAGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

